Ashley Middleton (b. 1985) is an artist, curator, and editor based in New York. She received her MFA in Photography from Parsons School of Design and her MA in Photography and Urban Cultures from Goldsmiths, University of London. Middleton has showcased her work at Photoville in New York, Pingyao International Photography Festival in China, and Auckland Festival of Photography in New Zealand. Her most recent curatorial project, Cartographies of Inclusion, was part of the Urban Photo Fest in London. She lives and works in New York City.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I grew up in New Jersey, closer to Philly than New York. I’m the youngest in my family, with two older brothers and parents who owned an american diner in the center of town.  My brothers have since taken over the family business, and have successfully kept it the social center of the community. Although I’ve never desired to be a part of their business, I’ve found that it has heavily influenced my practice.  

As an artist I have worked to facilitate deeper, more connected, interpersonal relations. I focus on how micro-interactions (shaped by culture, experience, and social practices) develop macro-routines that become embodied knowledge carried through our daily lives. My work develops methods for understanding the infrastructure of self-identification and its relationship to shaping how we relate to others. As a curator I’m consistently evaluating my place, my privilege, and my ethics, to create a collaborative structure that critically engages with institutionalized discriminative frameworks.